Title: Ninja Town
Genre: RTS (real-time strategy)
Developer : Venan
Platform: Nintendo DS
Rating: E (everyone)
Product Link: http://www.amazon.com/Ninjatown-Nintendo-DS/dp/B0011606OW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1234151308&sr=8-1
Website: http://www.ninjatown.com/
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An Army of Demons has burst forth from a volcano to destroy your homeland…or at the very least eat all your cookies. In Venan’s Ninjatown you play as Ol’ Master, the venerable yet feisty ninja elder who must defend the town from the onslaught of demons. These demons want nothing more than to devour all the ninja cookies which happen to be the backbone of Ninjatown’s fragile economy. Your mission is to use said cookies as currency to employ the services of various ninjas in order to protect all sectors of the town before it is too late.
Ninjatown ’s game play is structured on a timed turn-based strategy system in which you are given a moment to create ninja huts and fortify defenses around the map. When the timer ends, the enemies are released by waves to attempt to sneak past or bulldoze their way through your forces. There is an amusing tapestry of ninjas at your disposal. In addition to the standard, well-rounded black ninja, you will have to learn how to utilize the orange anti-ninja which are stronger at combat but slow, the business ninja that has incredible speed and projectile shooting ninjas which do damage from a distance. Each unit can be upgraded to many levels increasing their stats considerably or by building a structure adjacent to a ninja hut adding benefits such as quicker movement or greater shooting range.
The challenge for the player is not only being able to choose the correct combination of ninjas for a given map but also to do so under budget and in real time. There is nothing more rewarding than finding a unique selection of ninjas that defend a map well and doing so will earn you a high grade for the map.
The art design is crafted lovingly by the good people at Shawnimals, a character designing company that has gathered a following with their line of charismatic creations. Their sickeningly adorable ninjas and wee devils add a unique personality and heart not found in many other strategy games. The witty and clever writing will make even the most jaded gamer smirk as they try to click through the story.
The look of the game, however, will mislead many into believing that Ninjatown is a child’s game. The fact is that the game has a punishing difficulty and grows exponentially more daunting as more specialized units and abilities are introduced into your repertoire. The learning curve is sudden and requires all too often a trial and error approach to completing most levels. You are given the option to choose an easier setting, but only after you have failed a level repeatedly and frustration has set in deep. There is no difficulty setting prior to beginning the game which will hinder the enjoyment of casual gamers.
If you are looking for a strategy game that rewards planning and patience while chastising relaxation then Ninjatown will settle into your DS for quite some time. Just keep in mind that the game over screen will make an appearance at least once per map.
Overall Rating: * * * * /5
M. Michael Chwedyk "The Gamekok" -MuzikReviews.com Video Game Reviewer
February 11, 2009